As a sporadic Boston Celtics fan, I don't usually get concerned over a bad stretch of basketball during the regular season. This stretch is different. As a fanbase, we knew that coming into the 2020–21 season that the Boston Celtics were not a title contender; they simply do not have enough talent nor depth on the roster to manufacture a title run. Additionally, they have a new head coach, Ime Udoka, who is working with a roster that doesn't have a true identity. The Celtics’ start to the season has been nothing short of a dumpster fire. After their heartbreaking double-overtime defeat to the New York Knicks on Opening Night, the Celtics have only played three quarters of inspiring basketball. It's a dreadful trend that has continued from last season.
As much as its record might suggest, this is not a rebuilding team; Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum are both perennial all stars while Payton Pritchard and Aaron NeSmith are solid developmental pieces for the future. Throughout this roster, there is enough talent for this team to secure a playoff spot come next April. However, the talent alone is simply not enough to carry the team. What makes matters worse is that the effort among the team is nonexistent through this first stretch of games. The team looks disengaged on offense, and a lackadaisical effort on defense is the main theme each game; teams are bullying our big men in the paint, and the amount of wide-open 3-pointers that the Celtics were giving up was astounding.
What's so frustrating about this Celtics team is that they know the effort is not there — they just aren't doing anything to fix it. Brown and Tatum are head and shoulders above the rest of the team, yet they are not acting as leaders in the locker room. For a team that is struggling to search for an identity, having no strong voices present truly affects the attitude in the long term.
Even if Brown and Tatum deserve some blame for the early disappointments, they shouldn't be tasked with carrying the scoreboard each night. Unlike in previous seasons, Marcus Smart looks downright abysmal on the court; he is averaging 7.4 points per game and is shooting just 23.5% on 34 attempts from beyond the arc. Although Smart is known to be trigger-happy inside the front court, these numbers are atrocious. Moreover, Smart's hustle on the court is invisible. He's known for his "heart and hustle" on the court, but he seems out to lunch on almost every possession so far.
Sure, I could be overreacting to this start — it's an 82-game season and every team will go through a bad stretch or two eventually. However, when the Celtics desperately needed a break in the schedule, they played four games in six days with three of them against strong playoff contenders. Their recent play will not be of any help against these teams, and if they go 1–3 this week, this fanbase is going to start aggressively searching for a scapegoat. The panic button should not be pressed yet, but an answer to this lackluster start is critical.
